Cowboy Cornbread Casserole

Cornbread topped chili in a large skillet with text overlay.

5 from 3 votes

This Cowboy Cornbread Casserole is a thick plant-based meat and beans filling made with pinto beans, layered with shredded cheese, and topped with cornbread.

Prep Time30

Cook Time35

Total Time1 5

Course: Vegetarian Dinner

Cuisine: Tex-Mex

Keyword: cowboy cornbread casserole

Servings:

Calories: 365.3kcal

Author: Susan Pridmore

Equipment

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup diced yellow onion (½ large onion)
2 cups diced orange bell peppers (2 bell peppers)
½ medium jalapeño pepper, minced
1 teaspoon minced garlic or store-bought garlic paste
1 pound Beyond Beef (or Impossible Ground Meat or Seitan)
1 tablespoon Taco Seasoning
15 ounce can of pinto beans drained
14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes
10 ounce bag of frozen corn
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
16 ounce package of Marie Callender's Cornbread Mix (or 2 boxes of Jiffy Vegetarian Cornbread Mix)
15 ounce can of creamed corn
½ cup sour cream

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375˚F.
Warm the olive oil in a large skillet that is oven-safe. Add the onion, bell peppers, and minced jalapeño pepper. Sauté until softened, about 10 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat.
While the veggies sauté, cook the Beyond Beef in a separate medium skillet with a little olive oil as needed. When the meat substitute is completely cooked through, add the taco seasoning. Stir until aromatic and add to the sautéed veggies.
Add the drained beans, tomatoes, and corn. Top with the shredded cheddar cheese.
Stir together the cornbread mix, creamed corn, and sour cream in a medium mixing bowl using a wooden spoon. Do not add water as called for in the package directions. You will have a thick batter.
Spread it on top of the filling as smoothly as possible.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the top of the cornbread is browned and firm to the touch.
Serve immediately.

Notes

Ingredient Notes

Yellow onion - White onion works fine too.
Orange bell peppers - Any bell peppers work in this dish and it's fun to use different colors.
Canned pinto beans - Use canned or cook them from a dried form.
Cheddar cheese - Montery Jack, Colby Jack, and Pepper Jack cheeses are excellent alternatives.
Cornbread mix - I've used both Jiffy (the vegetarian version) and Marie Callender's Cornbread mix. If you use Jiffy, you'll need 2 boxes. You'll only need 1 bag of the Marie Callender's Cornbread Mix.

Nutrition